[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2440 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2440
To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve airport security.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 13, 2000
Mrs. Hutchison (for herself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Gorton, Mr. Inouye, Mr.
Rockefeller, and Mr. Bryan) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve airport security.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Airport Security Improvement Act of
2000''.
SEC. 2. CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS.
(a) Expansion of Coverage.--Section 44936(a)(1) of title 49, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``check in any case described in
subparagraph (C))'' in subparagraph (B) and inserting
``check)'';
(2) by striking subparagraph (C);
(3) by striking ``check under subparagraph (C),'' in
subparagraph (D) and inserting ``check,''.
(b) Checks To Be Made Expeditiously.--Section 44936(a) of that
title is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) The Administrator shall provide by regulation that
criminal background checks under this subsection are to be done
expeditiously.''.
SEC. 3. IMPROVED TRAINING.
(a) Completion of Uniform Performance Standards for Screener
Training.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
shall complete the development of uniform performance standards for
providing security screening services, required by section 302 of the
Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996, by September 30, 2000.
(b) Minimum Instructional Standards for Screeners.--Section 44935
of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end
thereof the following:
``(e) Training Standards for Screeners.--The Administrator shall
prescribe minimum standards for training security screeners that
include at least 40 hours of classroom instruction and at least 40
hours of practical training before an individual is qualified to
provide security screening services at an airport regulated under this
subchapter.''.
(c) Computer-Based Training Facilities.--Section 44935 of title 49,
United States Code, as amended by subsection (b) is further amended by
adding at the end thereof the following:
``(f) Accessibility of Computer-Based Training Facilities.--The
Administrator shall by regulation require that computer-based training
facilities intended for use at a hub airport (as defined in section
41731) be conveniently located for that airport and easily
accessible.''.
SEC. 4. IMPROVING SECURED-AREA ACCESS CONTROL.
Section 44904 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end thereof the following:
``(d) Improvement of Secured-Area Access Control.--
``(1) Enforcement.--The Administrator shall enforce
compliance with airport access control requirements,
including--
``(A) suspending, or requiring the suspension of,
employees who fail to comply with those requirements,
with or without pay, for such periods of time as the
Administrator may determine appropriate; and
``(B) the imposition of penalties provided for by
section 46301.
``(2) Improvements.--The Administrator shall--
``(A) work with airport operators and air carriers
to implement and strengthen existing controls to
eliminate access control weaknesses by September 30,
2000;
``(B) require airport operators and air carriers to
develop and implement comprehensive and recurring
training programs that teach employees their role in
airport security, the importance of their
participation, how their performance will be evaluated,
and what action will be taken if they fail to perform;
``(C) require airport operators and air carriers--
``(i) to develop and implement programs
that foster and reward compliance with access
control requirements, and discourage and
penalize noncompliance in accordance with
guidelines issued by the Administrator to
measure employee compliance; and
``(ii) to enforce individual compliance
requirements under Administration oversight;
``(D) assess and test for compliance with access
control requirements, report findings, and assess
penalties or take other appropriate enforcement actions
when noncompliance is found;
``(E) improve and better administer the
Administration security database to ensure its
efficiency, reliability, and usefulness for
identification of systemic problems and allocation of
resources;
``(F) improve the execution of the Administration's
quality control program by September 30, 2000; and
``(G) require airport operators and air carriers to
strengthen access control points in secured areas
(including air traffic control oper-
ations areas) to ensure the security of passengers and
aircraft by September 30, 2000.''.
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